Systole
by cherrymilk
Summary: Stigma has been eradicated. Markus and Valerie deal with the aftermath, which includes messy feelings about each other, as well as a lingering fear that Stigma will return with a vengeance. Takes place after the events of Trauma Center: New Blood. Expect some slice of life business, as well as fluff! Markus Vaughn/Valerie Blaylock
1. DIASTOLE

After everything that had happened, all Valerie wanted to do was drive home, crawl into her bed and preferably hibernate for a century or so. She sighed, her breath visible in the cold air. She looked over to Elena, who was shivering and staring out at the glittering lights of the city. Markus was pulling at his scarf in a slightly irritated manner, his brow furrowed in concentration. What he was concentrating on, Valerie had no idea.

Maybe he was thinking the same thing that she was: they had just single-handedly destroyed Stigma's threat to society. They had saved thousands of people, maybe more.

"We should probably be celebrating," Elena said, her teeth chattering.

Valerie turned to look at her and smiled half-heartedly. "I'd love to, but…I think I'll just call it a night. It's been an emotionally draining couple of weeks, you know?"

Elena nodded.

"Val's right," Markus said. "I haven't had a good night's sleep in ages."

"Maybe some other time, then," Elena said, running her hands along the length of her forearms in an effort to keep herself warm. "I'll see you two at work bright and early tomorrow, then."

She smiled reassuringly at both of them and took her leave.

Markus and Valerie stayed in their respective spots on the roof, silent.

"I can't believe we did it," Valerie breathed. She pulled her coat around her and sighed. "I thought I'd be happier."

"I know," Markus said flatly. "I thought the same."

She tilted her head slightly to look at him, with his dark hair fluttering in the chilly breeze and his jaw set. She felt that there was not much more to be said, so she simply bade him goodnight and left.

* * *

Markus couldn't sleep.

He had been trying for hours and hours on end, but he hadn't been able to lie still for even just a moment. He turned to look at the clock on his bedside table, which was cluttered with books.

3:30AM

"You've gotta be kidding me," he groaned, pulling his pillow over his head. His cat meowed plaintively and pushed herself into his side. Markus sat up, feeling vastly annoyed. He had just helped to cure one of the most dangerous diseases known to humanity. He should been sleeping like a baby, not tossing and turning the way he was. He pushed his navy blue sheets away and stood up. Maybe a glass of warm milk would help.

His cat meowed.

"It's worth a try, anyway," Markus said. He very occasionally spoke to his cat – that is, if very occasionally meant speaking to his cat every single waking moment that he was in his apartment. He padded over to his poky little kitchen and pulled the refrigerator door open, momentarily blinded by the light.

"Oh, good, out of milk," he grumbled.

It was definitely going to be one of those days.

Markus took two steps out of the kitchen and found himself in his so-called living room. He flopped down on his couch and sighed raggedly, looking out of the window at the ever-glittering lights. He was suddenly hit with the realization that he had nobody to talk to – and boy, did he need somebody to talk to. Something was nagging at him, keeping him from letting go of what had happened over the last couple of months. He knew he was surrounded with people all the time, but he somehow felt alone all the same.

Then a knock came at the door. It was quiet, almost hesitant. Markus's cat meowed confrontationally and Markus shushed her. He went over to the door and looked through the peephole.

It was Valerie. He shook his head in bewilderment and pulled the door open.

"Val?"

She was dressed in plaid pink pajama pants and was wrapped up in her beige coat. Her cropped hair was sticking up in each and every way and her eyes were red and puffy.

"Val, what's going on? Is there an emergency at the hospital or something?"

"No," she said, managing to keep her voice from cracking. "I just couldn't sleep."

"Oh."

"Are you going to let me in?"

"Wha – yeah, of course."

Markus quickly moved out of the way, letting her into his apartment.

"And put some clothes on, will you?"


	2. EKG

Valerie watched Markus scramble around for a pair of pants to cover up his boxer-clad self. She almost wanted to laugh at how comical he looked, digging through a pile of clothes on the floor. He finally produced a pair of grey pajama pants. He pulled them on, looking sheepish.

"Wasn't exactly expecting company," he said, sounding slightly grumpy.

"I can tell," Valerie said dryly, surveying his messy hair and the stubble coating his jaw.

"It's almost four, Val," Markus said, folding his arms across his chest expectantly. "What's going on?"

"I just…" Valerie sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I need to talk to someone. Anyone."

Markus shifted and cleared his throat. "Yeah? What about?"

"Oh, you know what about, Markus," Valerie snapped. "About Stigma! About how everybody thinks everything is going to be okay, when you and I both know that itmight _not be_! About how people are always, always going to find a way to hurt others and…and what happens when we can't do anything to save them? What about next time, when the disease is worse than Stigma? What are we going to do, Markus?"

"Whoa, slow down, Val."

Valerie should have known that he was going to say that. Stupid, laid-back Markus in his stupid cluttered apartment in a stupid state of undress.

"I just can't take this, Markus," Valerie said helplessly. "I'm supposed to be happy that Stigma's been destroyed – supposed to be happy that I helped to destroy it." She walked over to his couch and sat down, burying her head in her hands. "But I'm just terrified of what's going to come next."

Markus hesitated before joining her on the couch. "It's going to be okay, Val," he said soothingly. "You know it will. And besides, even if something else _does _pop up, we're the best surgeons Caduceus has to offer."

Valerie straightened and sighed. She turned to look at him, her skin illuminated in the moonlight. "Do you really think that, Markus? Truly?"

He nodded.

"You're worried too, aren't you," she said.

"What? No!"

He knew his response had come a little too quickly - mostly because Valerie was eyeing him skeptically.

"Quit trying to be a strong manly-man," she said. "If you're worried, just say so."

"I'm not…" Markus trailed off. "You can't just put me on the spot like this, Val."

Valerie rolled her eyes. Markus's cat squeaked conversationally and hopped up onto the couch.

"Oh, my God," Valerie giggled. "You have a cat?"

Markus grabbed his pet and dragged her over to his lap. "Yeah, so?"

Valerie shook her head. "I just didn't peg you as a cat-lover."

"I'm not," Markus said, grateful for the change of subject. "She just invited herself in one day and never left."

Valerie stared at him for a moment. "We can't let Elena know that we're still hung up on Stigma."

"I know," Markus grumbled.

Valerie got up from Markus's couch and straightened her pants. Markus rolled his eyes – only Valerie would feel the need to smooth wrinkles out of her bedclothes.

"I should get going."

"Like hell," Markus said. "You are not wandering the streets alone at half past four in the morning."

Valerie snorted. "Please. I managed to drive here by myself, didn't I?"

Markus set his jaw for the umpteenth time and exhaled slowly. "Just stay here, Val."

"I am not sharing the couch with your cat," Valerie said firmly.

"Then take the bed."

"And where will you sleep?"

"I, for one, don't mind sharing the couch with my cat," Markus said. His cat meowed in response.

"Markus, just let me go. This is stupid."

"C'mon, Val, what's the big deal?" Markus pressed. "If you leave now I'll stay up all night worrying that my partner is going to get hacked into pieces in a dark alley."

"Wow, Markus, that wasn't grotesque or anything," Valerie said sarcastically. "Fine, I'll stay. But just this once. And I'm leaving as soon as the sun rises so I can put some real clothes on."

Markus gave her his signature lopsided smile and she rolled her eyes.

"Stupid," she grumbled as she made her way over to his mess of a bed.

* * *

"Good morning, Dr. Vaughn," Elena chirped happily. She pushed a cup of coffee into his hand and shepherded him into his office. He grumbled in response, sore from sleeping on the couch with his cat, who had insisted on hogging the blanket.

Valerie was sitting at her desk, absorbed in some paperwork. She barely looked up as he flopped down in his chair and yawned.

"I hope you aren't tired, Doctor," Elena said, sounding alert as ever. "You and Dr. Blaylock have quite a few procedures to get through today!"

Markus groaned. "How many is 'quite a few?'"

Elena shrugged. "Four, and I expect they'll be pretty long. This is Caduceus – we're expected to be able to power through. Anyway, drink your coffee. You'll feel better in no time."

She left the room, her pristine white sneakers squeaking on the marble floor.

"Well, she obviously got some sleep last night," Markus said.

Valerie finally looked up. "You look like a wreck."

"Yeah, well, it's because _somebody _barged into my house at the crack of dawn and slept in my bed."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "You offered."

"Seriously, though," Markus said, his voice lowering confidentially. "You feeling better?"

Valerie let out a strained chuckle. "Yes, I was just…tired, I guess. You know how it is."

Markus raised an eyebrow. "That couldn't have sounded more unconvincing if you'd tried."

"Oh, shut up. We've got work to do."

"Whatever you say, Val."


	3. SEMILUNAR VALVES

"Does Dr. Vaughn seem a little…off to you today?" Elena asked.

Valerie looked over Elena's head to where Dr. Everett and Markus were sitting. Everett seemed to be in the middle of a loud story and Markus looked a little overwhelmed – but people usually did when they were around Caduceus's chief surgeon.

"He seems fine to me," Valerie said, sipping at her water and tilting her head to the side. "Why?"

They were in Caduceus's plush and expensive-looking break room. Markus usually tended to sit next to Valerie and complain, but Dr. Everett had whisked him off as soon as the lunch hour started.

Elena pushed her food around with her fork. "I'm not sure. He just hasn't been focusing as much as he usually does."

"Maybe he had a bad night's sleep," Valerie responded nonchalantly.

Elena shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know about you, but I slept like a baby. Stigma cured and a nice warm bed waiting for me at home – what else could I have asked for?"

Valerie gave her a strained smile. She didn't know if Elena was too naïve to be worried, or if she as having an internal panic attack as well. She couldn't decide if prodding further was the right thing to do, so she just continued to sip at her water.

Her phone buzzed.

**FROM: BRIAN**

Hey, babe, how's it hanging? Just thought I'd let you know that I'm gonna be in town for the next couple of weeks – you know, if you wanna meet up or something.

Valerie exhaled slowly. Her phone buzzed a second time.

**FROM: MARKUS**

Save me.

Valerie smirked and looked over to where Dr. Everett was beginning the climax of his never-ending story. She could tell Markus was dying to get out of there. He looked at her helplessly and she shrugged, not bothering to wipe the smile off her face.

Meanwhile, what were the odds that both the men in her life would text her at once? She came to the sudden realization that she hadn't spoken to a single male for months – and Markus didn't count. She sighed softly.

"Something the matter?"

Valerie laughed. "Just a text from Brian. He's going to be in town next week."

"Oh, good," Markus said, smoothly entering the conversation. "Maybe he'll operate on another dog and we'll get to watch."

Dr. Everett walked by and slapped Markus on the back. "Good talk, Vaughn, but surgery calls. We'll catch up again later."

"Sure," Markus said, dreading Dr. Everett's next unintentional story-time hour.

"For the thousandth time, I didn't know he'd decided to become a vet, okay? Besides, it's always good to get a different perspective on things," Valerie said defensively.

"Oh, yeah, I definitely got a whole new perspective on surgery during the traffic jam we were stuck in."

"I would hope so, seeing as how we performed an operation on the side of the road _with no equipment_."

That shut him up.

"Are you going to see him?" Elena asked.

Valerie looked at her phone, unsure. "Maybe."

"Maybe he'll try to win your affections by showing you how to castrate a bull," Markus said flatly.

"You don't even know what you're talking about," Valerie shot back. "He's a veterinarian, not a farmer."

"Yet," Markus threw in.

Valerie threw her hands up. "I give up!"

Markus smirked. "Good."

* * *

Four operations later, and it was well past six 'o clock. Markus pulled on his coat, deciding to keep his desk covered in paperwork.

"You could at least put your paperwork in a pile," Valerie said, pulling her dark brown gloves onto her hands.

"Waste of time," Markus said. "It'd just get messed up again."

Valerie shook her head. "You are unbelievable, Markus."

He shrugged and opened the door to their office. "After you."

They made their way through the silent halls of Caduceus, occasionally hearing a cough coming from the wards.

"Any plans tonight?" Valerie asked conversationally as they waited for the elevator.

Markus shook his head. "I'll probably just lie around until I fall asleep. You know, lead the exciting life of a bachelor."

Valerie laughed.

"I know how you feel," she said. "I go home and sit around waiting for work to start. It's kind of pathetic."

They had reached the sliding glass doors of Caduceus. The enormous marble fountain had been turned off for the night, and what little water remained was coated in a thin layer of ice.

"Thank you, by the way," Valerie said, coming to a stop by the fountain's edge.

"For what?"

"Asking after me this morning. Didn't think you had it in you to be considerate."

"Thanks for the compliment, Val," Markus said sarcastically.

"I'm just teasing," Valerie said, smiling.

_Do something, stupid. Ask her out, kiss her, tell her that she can come into your apartment any time. Something!_

Markus furrowed his brow. Why was he even – Valerie was his _partner_. They maintained a _professional relationship_. And fine, she looked absolutely angelic standing in flickering lights with her breath coming out in little puffs and her cheeks just a little flushed from the cold, but still.

"Are you alright?" Valerie asked. "You're not having an aneurysm, are you?"

"What? No," Markus said a little too quickly. "I just…it's nothing, Val. I'll see…"

He trailed off at the sound of her phone emitting a happy jingle. She pulled it out of her pocket and rolled her eyes.

"Is he offering you a cow's heart in exchange for your undying love?"

"Shut _up_, Markus."

"See you tomorrow, Val."

Valerie walked off, shaking her head.

Markus did the same, heading straight for his car.

"Stupid Brian," he mumbled, clambering in and turning the heater on. "Wait, no. Not stupid Brian. It doesn't matter who Valerie is interested in. It's none of my business."

There was a moment of silence before Markus sighed.

"And now I'm talking to myself. Great. Insanity is just what I need right now."


	4. ATRIA

"You just have to see him, darling, it'd be rude not to!"

Valerie ran a hand over her face. Her mother had been squealing about Brian getting back in touch for almost an hour now. She was sitting on her maroon couch, occasionally taking a sip from the cup of tea that was sitting on the mahogany coffee table. Pepita was sitting by her feet, taking a nap. Markus had outright refused to take the dog, so Valerie had happily adopted her. She needed some company around her apartment, anyway.

"Mom, Brian and I broke up for a reason, remember?"

"Didn't he say you were putting your work over him? Just tell him that you're already where you want to be in your career and that he's always been more important than working at Caduceus. Men love to hear that they're more important than your career (not that surgery isn't important, darling)."

"But I'm not at where I want to be in my career, Mom," Valerie said, suppressing a groan. "There are still so many things for me to achieve."

"Your ambition is admirable, sweetie, it really is, but you should also think about starting a family. I'm not getting any younger."

"Mom, I don't really think Brian is the kind of person I'd want fathering my children."

"You're right," her mother said suddenly. "If I had to choose between him and Markus – there would literally be no competition."

_Here it comes_, Valerie thought. Markus had just _had _to charm the pants off her mother during Caduceus's spring benefit last year. Ms. Blaylock was absolutely infatuated with him.

"How does somebody as handsome as he is have time to be a successful surgeon?" Valerie hadn't even been listening to her mother's chatter. "I wonder if he's dating. Do you know if he's dating, Valerie?"

"Mom, Markus and I are professionals. We maintain a professional relationship."

Ms. Blaylock sighed heavily into the phone. "The only way I could maintain any sort of relationship with Dr. Vaughn would be if that relationship involved him wearing nothing but a – "

"OKAY, Mom," Valerie interrupted. "Look, it's getting a little late, and I should get some sleep. I have a ton of surgeries lined up for tomorrow and…"

"Well, alright, sweetie. But promise me you'll at least have dinner with Brian. Maybe he's matured a little."

"Sure, Mom, whatever," Valerie said, sighing. "Say hello to Dad for me."

"Okay, sweetie! Have sweet dreams – I know I will. How _do _you work in such close contact with such a prime member of the male species? I would just accidentally take out a kidney instead of a spleen."

"Mom, please," Valerie begged.

"Good night, honey."

Valerie hung up and flopped face down onto her couch. Pepita yawned and turned over. Valerie looked at her clock. It was only eight 'o clock. Maybe it was worth giving Brian a call.

Just as she was reaching for her phone, a sharp knock echoed through her apartment.

"What in the world…"

She stepped over Pepita, who had rolled off the couch in order to investigate. She sniffed at the crack under the door and then wagged her tail happily.

"Somebody you know, Pepita?" Valerie asked, pulling the door open.

It was Markus.

"_Markus_?"

"Hey, don't raise your eyebrows at me. It's only eight 'o clock. Totally respectable – unlike you with your early morning excursions."

"I just…what are you doing here? I thought you said that you…well, had nothing to do."

"Exactly," Markus said. "I just thought I'd drop by to see Pepita."

Pepita rolled around on the floor.

"You…came over to see the dog," Valerie said flatly.

Markus shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood."

"No, you weren't."

"No, I wasn't."

A sudden silence came upon the apartment. Markus bent down to pat Pepita's belly and Valerie just stood there with the door still open.

Markus looked up at her. "Val? Hey, I can leave if you want. I just figured that you probably had nothing to do, either, so I thought I'd drop by. You know, keep you company."

"I thought you said you were here for Pepita," Valerie said dryly.

Markus smiled at her. "I'm here for both my girls."

Valerie raised her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest. "Are you drunk?"

"Maybe a little," Markus admitted.

"Markus!"

"I'm _kidding_," Markus said, getting up and dusting his jeans off. "Geez, can't a guy just drop in on his partner?"

Valerie let out a long sigh. "Do you like tea?"


	5. HEARTBEAT

Well, it's not like Markus had been expecting her to welcome him with open arms, or anything. He had driven home at a leisurely pace, arguing with himself the whole way, and by the time he'd gotten to his little apartment and had fed his cat, he'd realized that he literally had no friends to speak of.

Except for Val.

So, he'd picked up his coat, waved good-bye to the cat and had driven down.

"I'm going for Pepita," he said to himself as he'd pulled into the parking lot under Valerie's apartment building.

_Sure you are._

That little voice in his head was _really _starting to get on his nerves.

When she had asked him if he was drunk, he backtracked, deciding that he was being entirely too nice to her. Presently, they were parked on her couch, drinking tea and bickering.

It was actually pleasant. Unnaturally so.

"That is _not _how you perform the procedure, Markus," Valerie said, almost dropping her mug. "How long have you been practicing, anyway? You should know things like this!"

"It usually comes to me at some point during the surgery," Markus said, enjoying her outrage.

"_Some point during surgery_?" Valerie's eyes widened. "That's it, I'm requesting a new partner."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure you and Kanae would really hit it off. Maybe you could operate on her karate master cousin again."

Valerie tried very hard not to laugh, but failed miserably. "You are such a horrible person."

"That's hardly a valid reason to want a new partner," Markus said, smirking.

Valerie sighed, leaning back against the cushions. She took a sip of her tea. "Hey, how come we've never hung out before like this?"

Markus shrugged. "I don't know. We see each other at the hospital enough, don't we? Besides, wouldn't want you to get sick of me or anything."

"Me get sick of _you_?" Valerie repeated, feigning shock. "Perish the thought! I could never get sick of you, Markus."

He wished she was being serious, but he knew she was just teasing him.

"Well, the feeling's mutual," he said, trying to hide the sincerity in his voice. She didn't need to know that he meant it or anything.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Valerie's brow furrowed.

"Well, aren't you popular tonight?" Markus said.

"Funny, I wasn't expecting anybody," Valerie murmured.

"I'm not surprised. Your only acquaintance is sitting on your couch."

"I'm sorry, I don't see _you _surrounded by a throng of admiring people," Valerie retorted, walking toward the door.

"Touché."

Valerie looked through the peephole. Markus saw her shift uncomfortably in place.

"Something the matter?" he asked from the couch.

"It's Brian," Valerie whispered, sounding slightly panicked.

"So? Just open the door and tell him you're busy. He can't just drop in uninvited."

"You're one to talk," she whispered. She took a deep breath and threw the door open.

* * *

"Brian!" Valerie chirped, knowing just how fake she sounded.

"Hey, babe," Brian drawled. She cringed, wishing he'd drop the pet name. "Just thought I'd drop by, see if you were up to anything."

"Well, actually…"

Brian peered over her shoulder and smirked. "Well, if it isn't Dr. I'm-not-impressed-with-open-heart-surgery-on-dogs. "

Markus stood up and crossed his arms across his chest. "Brian."

"Dr. Lucas to you," Brian said coolly.

Valerie looked from Markus to Brian and back. How could this have happened? Also, her mother would have been intensely excited if she were in the vicinity. She would have also pointed out that Brian looked a mess, while Markus was busy pulling off his just-rolled-out-of-bed-but-not-really thing that he always had going on.

Why was she even thinking about how they looked? They were staring each other down and she was just standing in between them feeling and probably looking like an idiot.

"I'm…a little busy right now, Brian," she said apologetically. "Markus and I were going over some procedural techniques and…"

"Looks a lot more cozy than that to me," Brian said accusingly. He turned to look at Valerie. "Why didn't you return my text, Val?"

Markus sniggered.

"Shut up," Brian snapped. "Seriously, though, Val, I thought you'd want to see me."

"Of course I do," Valerie said, lying between her teeth. "I was just…really busy. Things at Caduceus are always hectic and…"

"I'm sure you'd understand, being an accomplished vet and all," Markus said dryly.

"Can it," Brian said sharply. "Look, Val, I know we've had our differences, but couldn't you give me another chance?"

"Brian, do we have to do this right now?" Valerie asked.

"Yeah, we do, because if I don't, your so-called 'partner' will be free to make his move and I am so not going to stand around and let that happen."

"What are you talking about?" Valerie was completely and utterly exasperated. She also noticed that Markus hadn't bothered to tell Brian that he was just paying Valerie a friendly visit. "Nobody here is going to make a move on me, alright?"

"I'm pretty sure Brian is trying to," Markus said calmly. "But he's doing a pretty bad job of it, so I'm not surprised you haven't noticed."

Brian balled his fists up.

"Brian, look, I'll call you as soon as I get out of work tomorrow and we can set up a dinner date, okay?" Valerie was so ridiculously close to begging.

Brian smirked at Markus and then turned to smile at Valerie. "Sure thing, babe. I'll be waiting."

He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before swaggering out of her apartment.

A very awkward silence followed his departure.

"I'm not sure dinner is sending him the right message," Markus said, picking his coat up.

"Where are you going?" Valerie asked desperately.

"Home," Markus replied shortly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Valerie."

She watched him head toward the door. He briefly stopped to pet Pepita before leaving.

Had he just called her Valerie? What happened to Val?

She groaned. "What a mess."

Pepita barked.


	6. VENTRICLE

Now, the only question left for him to answer was when.

Was it when they first met?

No, he had believed her to be inexperienced and naïve, not realizing just how capable and strong she was.

During their first procedure as partners?

No, probably not. She focused too hard during surgery, and so did he.

Suddenly, it dawned on him.

When the Kidman family kidnapped them, Valerie had been _terrified_. He could distinctly remember her sinking to the floor in the dark little room they had kept them hostage in and burying her face in her hands. Elena had bent down to comfort her instantly, while Markus had looked around, trying to make sense of what was happening. But instead of asking Elena, Valerie had turned to him and whispered, "What are we going to do, Markus?"

At the time, he hadn't known how to respond. But seeing her there, completely vulnerable and scared almost had sent him into a full-blown panic. He _relied _on Valerie to stay calm and collected so that he would, too. But at that point, she had needed him and that was also something that had contributed to the sinking feeling he had been experiencing in his stomach. He had had the urge to protect her somehow, to make sure that their abductors didn't hurt her in any way. He had wanted to protect Elena too, obviously, but it was…different. What he had felt about Valerie that night was different. He had also realized that he needed her to stay calm because she kept him sane, for the most part.

He supposed they both relied on each other for different things, even now.

"Dr. Vaughn?"

But how does relying on somebody turn into actually caring for them?

"Dr. Vaughn…?"

Also, what was the difference between caring for a person and being in love with them?

"Dr. Vaughn!"

Markus looked blankly at Elena, who had been calling his name for the last five minutes.

"Are you alright, Dr. Vaughn?"

"I'm fine, Elena," Markus said, realizing how irritated he sounded. He was still thinking about what had happened last night, and what _could _have happened if Brian hadn't kicked the door down and interrupted them.

"Well, then," Elena said, sounding completely unconvinced. "Dr. Blaylock will get done with her rounds in a few minutes, and then the two of you are scheduled for a tumor removal at noon."

Markus nodded. "Thank you, Elena."

"You're very welcome, Dr. Vaughn," Elena said sweetly, making neat piles out of his paperwork. Markus was just about to protest when Valerie strolled in, looking put together and lovely as usual.

"Hello, Markus," she said pleasantly.

Markus mumbled in response, feeling completely immature and yet not bothering to backtrack and give her a proper hello.

Valerie raised an eyebrow at him. "Right, well, we should head to the briefing for the procedure," she said.

"After you," Markus said, gritting his teeth.

Elena watched them as they walked off, Markus staying a step or two behind Valerie.

"What's the matter with them?" Dr. Everett boomed. He strolled up to Elena, holding a gigantic cup of coffee in his hand. Smoke was rising out of it, indicating that it had just been poured out of the pot, but Dr. Everett took a healthy gulp of it anyway, completely unaffected.

"I have no idea," Elena said. "Dr. Vaughn has been standoffish all morning."

"Probably been fighting," Dr. Everett said thoughtfully.

"Fighting?" Elena repeated. "They barely see each other outside of hospital hours."

Dr. Everett shrugged. "As far as you know, anyway."

Elena stared at him and he laughed.

"As far as I'm concerned, Markus deals with women the same way my son does," he said.

"I'm sorry?"

"You know," Dr. Everett continued casually. "Pullin' at pigtails and such. It's the only way he knows how."

Elena furrowed her brow. "Dr. Everett, are you saying that Dr. Vaughn has…feelings for Dr. Blaylock?"

Dr. Everett shrugged, smiling confidentially. "I'm not saying _anything_."

"What?"

"Surgery waits for no man," Dr. Everett yelled. He slammed his coffee cup down on the table and glided out of the room.

* * *

"This tumor looks strange," Valerie said from behind her mask.

Markus barely looked up at her. "It does."

"It looks a little like…"

"It's just a tumor, Val."

Oh, so they were back to Val now, were they?

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

"Okay."


	7. AORTA

After the procedure, Valerie found herself pacing in the women's bathroom.

"It was just a tumor," she said under her breath. "Just a tumor, Valerie. Calm down. It just _looked _like something similar to Stigma. But that doesn't mean it _was _Stigma. Markus would have said if it was."

She had been in there for the last fifteen minutes, trying very hard not to slip into full-on panic mode. The tumor had looked suspiciously like Stigma – but not as Valerie had known it. By the time they had operated on any Stigma ridden patients, the disease had already been in its most advanced stage. Whatever she had seen that afternoon looked like it was in the process of transforming into something much more dangerous.

It worried her.

"We cured Stigma," she said, looking at herself in the mirror. "It's over. I'm done with Stigma, done with being kidnapped, done with traveling to foreign countries and being given dogs as presents. I'm just a doctor doing her job at a completely respectable hospital. That's all."

Valerie left the bathroom and walked into the office she shared with Markus. He was sitting at his desk, staring intently at some paperwork.

"I've never seen you so engrossed in paperwork," Valerie said, sounding strained.

Markus shrugged. "Just looking over some old research papers."

"Oh."

An awkward silence filled the room.

Valerie felt herself start to worry again. Markus wasn't helping by acting like such an asshole, either. She briefly wondered if it had anything to do with Brian – why would it? – but her thoughts quickly returned to Stigma's possible reappearance. She shivered, and Markus looked up at her.

"What's the matter with you?"

Valerie shook her head. "It's nothing."

Markus got up and closed the door to their office. Oh, great. Now she was trapped.

"Val," he said, clearly making the decision to coax the truth out of her.

"Alright, fine," Valerie said nervously. "It's just…that tumor looked a lot like Stigma. You noticed it, too. I could tell."

"It was just a tumor, Val," Markus said. "Stigma didn't look like that."

"How do we know that?" Valerie snapped. "We know next to nothing about Stigma! Even you knew next to nothing about it!"

Markus hesitated for a moment before responding. "It just…wasn't Stigma."

"But how do you know?" Valerie asked. She didn't even wait for Markus to respond. "You don't. I don't. It could be anything."

"It could have just been a tumor," Markus said.

Valerie shook her head. "I have such a bad feeling about this, Markus," she said, placing her hand on her forehead and sighing.

"Maybe your dinner date with Brian will cheer you up," was Markus's flat response.

"Who the hell cares about Brian?" Valerie asked. "I'm talking about Stigma, here! God, Markus, would you for one second even think about what I'm suggesting?"

"It was a tumor, Val," Markus said firmly. "Stop freaking out."

"Stop freaking out?!" Valerie repeated. She opened her mouth to continue, but instead of words, she just let out a huge sigh. She ran her fingers through her short hair and looked at Markus helplessly. "I'm sorry."

Markus had never seen anybody go through so many emotions in the space of half a minute, but then again, he had never met anybody like Valerie, either.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said firmly, opening the door. "Everything's going to be fine. We're going to be fine."

Valerie nodded, the panic leaving her eyes. "Okay."

"Now go read up on cats or something before your date tonight."

"Oh, shut up."

Markus smiled as she left the room.

* * *

"So…I read that cats can hear frequencies that are too high or too low for human ears," Valerie said earnestly. "That's interesting."

She couldn't believe that she had actually taken Markus's stupid joke seriously and had read the Wikipedia page on cats before driving over. Now she was sitting across from Brian in a casual restaurant downtown. It wasn't necessarily the nicest place, but it's not like Valerie would have preferred to be holed up somewhere overly fancy, either. She poked nervously at her pasta.

Brian nodded, taking a sip of his beer. "Good for hunting vermin," he said happily.

Valerie nodded, trying to look interested.

"How's medicine working out for you, V?" Brian asked. He sounded genuinely curious, and it made Valerie feel bad.

"It's been working out pretty well, actually," Valerie said. "I'm so grateful to be working at Caduceus – Markus and I…"

Brian snorted. "Do you two do anything apart? Or are all your medical discoveries a joint effort?"

Valerie raised an eyebrow at him and placed her fork on the table. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Brian shrugged. "I just thought you were more independent than that, is all. You sure as hell were when we were dating."

"Markus and I are a team," Valerie said indignantly. "I couldn't just go off on my own and crack hard cases and research the impossible."

"Couldn't you?" Brian asked incredulously.

Valerie picked her fork up again and began to eat, frowning. Was Brian right? Did she rely on Markus too much? No – if she had wanted to go on her own wild medical adventure, she would have by now. Markus wasn't holding her back. _Nobody holds Valerie Blaylock back._

"Hey, V, I'm sorry," Brian said, not sounding sorry at all. "Didn't mean to offend. I was just making an observation."

Valerie gave him a strained smile. "That's fine. No offense taken."

"So I wanted to tell you about this _crazy _surgery I performed on somebody's pet ferret the other day," Brian began.

_Here it goes._


	8. VENA CAVA

"A ferret?" Elena repeated. "Is it even legal to have a pet ferret down here?"

"I have no idea," Valerie said. "But it definitely wasn't as exciting a story as he thought it was. It's just…I didn't bore him to death with stories about tumors or anything. I…I read a Wikipedia page on _cats_, for God's sake!"

"Well, at least you won't have to see him again," Elena said soothingly.

They were standing at the nurses' station, which sat in the middle of Caduceus's third floor. Valerie was having her early morning cup of coffee and telling Elena all about her date with Brian, which hadn't exactly been as thrilling as it could have been. Valerie took a sip of her coffee and smiled at Elena guiltily.

"Except I'm seeing him again this weekend."

Elena almost choked on her tea. "What?"

"He guilt-tripped me into it, okay?" Valerie said, desperately defending herself. "He just went on and on about how he didn't know anybody in the area, and that it was so nice to have me around and I just…broke."

Elena sighed. "And he's going home after that?"

Valerie nodded. "Yes! Yes. He's going home. After this weekend I'll be totally free."

"Free of what?" Markus asked, strolling out of the elevator. His hair was sticking up each and every way – truth be told, he hadn't slept well at all. Elena produced a cup of coffee for him seemingly out of nowhere. She always seemed to have warm beverages hidden around – Valerie had told her time and time again that she didn't have to bring them coffee, but Elena had always insisted on it. Besides, it gave both Elena and Valerie a reason to hang around the nurses' station and gossip.

"Brian," Valerie said flatly.

Markus smirked. "So I'm going to assume that your date went _wonderfully_."

Valerie smiled at him sarcastically. "You would be absolutely correct, Markus. I've always wanted to hear an in-depth and never-ending story about surgery on a ferret."

"Are ferrets even legal to keep as pets here?"

"That's what I was wondering," Elena said.

"That's not the point!" Valerie said. "The point is, I'm seeing him again next weekend. And this time, I'm not going to read any Wikipedia pages."

"Please tell me you actually read up on cats," Markus said gleefully. "Seriously. It would make my day."

"Shut up, Markus."

* * *

As the day wore on, Markus's mood got better. He would hear Valerie talking about Brian every so often, and see Elena shaking her head, and he would smirk. He didn't even care if Valerie noticed.

Two small procedures later, and they were sitting in the doctor's lounge on the fourth floor. Valerie was reading a book, and Markus had his head buried in his research papers as usual.

"If it isn't the saviors of humankind," a voice chirped.

Markus and Valerie looked up to see Cynthia, of all people.

"If there's another shackle on your heart, we're not operating," Markus said dryly.

"Markus!" Valerie scolded. She stood up and gave Cynthia a big hug. "How've you been?"

"Great," Cynthia said. "Really great. And shackle-free, Markus."

"Thank God," Markus grumbled.

"You look amazing, Val, seriously," Cynthia said, smiling. Her blue eyes sparkled happily, and Valerie couldn't help but beam at her old friend. "And you don't look too bad yourself, Markus."

Markus shrugged nonchalantly and Cynthia giggled.

"Delightful as ever, I see."

"That's Markus," Valerie said. "Caduceus's own prince charming."

"Did you come here just to pick on me?" Markus asked, putting his research papers down.

"What, can't I visit the two surgeons who saved my life?"

"Of course you can," Valerie said warmly. "Markus is just anti-social. Ignore him."

Markus grumbled something unintelligible, and proceeded to pick his papers up once more.

"Let's go get you a coffee or something," Valerie said.

She and Cynthia walked down to the coffee shop on the ground floor of the hospital, chattering the whole way. When Cynthia had her coffee in her hand, she stopped Valerie, who was making her way back to the elevator.

"Val, I was wondering," Cynthia began. "I know I've had horrible luck with men and all, but I just have to know…is Markus seeing anybody?"

"What?!"


	9. CIRUMFLEX ARTERY

Markus frowned at his old research papers. He had spent the last couple of days poring over his old work, trying to find solid proof that what they had seen the other day had just been a tumor. And the more he read, the less optimistic he got. The Kidman family was out of the picture, and Stigma was…over. He was being paranoid. Valerie was being paranoid.

But what if…?

"No," he said firmly, putting the papers down.

Whatever they had removed from that patient was gone now, and the person was recovering just fine. He knew it would be weeks before they got the pathology reports back.

And they would probably come back completely normal.

Not that the pathologists would know anything about Stigma.

Markus got up and put the papers under his arm. Maybe a little trip to the pathology department wouldn't hurt. Valerie was busy with Cynthia, so it wasn't like she'd be looking for him.

He walked out of the break room and headed for the elevator. There was nothing to it – he'd just pop into pathology, take a quick look at the tumor sample and stroll out. It would grant him peace of mind, anyway.

Actually, it would grant Valerie peace of mind, too.

And for some reason, that seemed infinitely more important to him right now.

* * *

"Cynthia, I just…don't think it's a good idea for you to start dating again," Valerie said uneasily. "So soon, I mean."

"I'm fine, Valerie, I swear," Cynthia argued. "What happened a couple of months ago…it's in the past. I'm not the fool I was back then."

"I believe you," Valerie said seriously. "I promise you I do. But, Markus? Really?"

"Why not?" Cynthia asked, taking a sip of her coffee. "He's handsome, accomplished, and he probably wouldn't go to the trouble of putting a shackle around my heart."

Valerie grimaced at the memory of performing open heart surgery on her friend.

"I just…you could probably do better than Markus, anyway," Valerie said.

"You're always going to think I can do better," Cynthia replied. "And it's because we're friends. I get it. But you seriously need to let me start living again, Val."

"I'm not trying to stop you," Valerie said, a desperate edge creeping into her voice. "I just…"

Cynthia lowered her coffee cup and eyed Valerie curiously. "Val, are you in love with him?"

"What?!" Valerie squeaked. "No! No. Are you crazy? Markus and I work together. That's all. I barely see him outside of the hospital. No. Why would you even suggest that?"

Cynthia lifted a blonde eyebrow skeptically. "I know you've always been bad with feelings, but this is ridiculous."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Valerie said. "I was in a stable relationship for years."

"Yeah, with Brian," Cynthia said. "Guys don't get any less mature than Brian."

"He's accomplished!" Valerie retorted. "And he's really passionate about animals. Why are we even talking about Brian right now?"

"Because you don't want to talk about Markus," Cynthia said serenely.

"I told you – Markus and I are professional partners. Any feelings between us are just that – professional. And platonic. And if you want to ask him out, go for it."

Cynthia tapped the side of her coffee cup. "You're sure?"

"If you think you're ready, go for it!" Valerie chirped, forcing a smile.

Cynthia began to walk toward the elevators again. "You know, for a second there I seriously thought I was going to uncover your secret infatuation with Markus."

Valerie laughed. "You're crazy."

Cynthia joined in, her laughter filling the elevator.

Valerie sighed. What the hell was going on?


	10. ANATOMY

Friday rolled around, and Valerie found that she had completely forgotten about the conversation she had had with Cynthia earlier in the week. She and Markus had been neck deep in surgery, and when they finally had time to take a breather, a few days had passed.

Valerie walked into Caduceus, smiling. She was in a really good mood – in fact, she even let herself be optimistic about her date with Brian. He had probably just been nervous during their last outing.

She breezed past the nurses' station and waved at Elena happily. Elena grinned at her, a slight look of confusion coming over her small features. Valerie put her key in the lock of the office she shared with Markus, and frowned when she found that it was unlocked.

She was _always _at work before Markus was. A quick look at her watch told her that it wasn't even 8AM. She opened the door gingerly.

The last thing she expected to see was Markus sleeping at his desk surrounded by piles of paper.

Valerie tiptoed into the office and closed the door behind her softly. She walked over to the desk and tapped Markus on the shoulder.

"Markus?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you sleeping at your desk?"

"Working."

"It's 8AM, Markus."

Markus opened his eyes and looked up at Valerie. She tried to suppress a smile – his face was dusted in stubble and his hair was an absolute mess.

"It's not Stigma," Markus said sleepily, still looking up at her the desk. "So you can sleep easy now."

Valerie's heart dropped. "What do you mean?"

Markus closed his eyes again. "I went to pathology a couple of days ago and ran the tests myself. Did some reading. It's not Stigma."

"Why would you even…?" Valerie trailed off.

"I didn't want you to worry," Markus said, his voice thick with sleep. "So I ran some tests."

"You didn't want me to worry?" Valerie repeated. She felt something akin to butterflies in her stomach – or maybe she was just hungry, she wasn't sure which.

Markus chuckled in his half-awake state. "Hey, did you know that Cynthia asked me out?"

"Oh?" Valerie said. "What did you say?"

"You kidding?" Markus mumbled. "Why the hell would I go out with Cynthia? Got you right here."

Valerie's eyebrows shot up. "Markus, are you even awake?"

"Sorta."

"She meant a date. You and I perform surgeries together."

"Don't see how it's any different," Markus said. His eyes were still closed and he still seemed to be delirious with exhaustion.

"I…"

A sharp knock came at the door and Elena stuck her head in. "Dr. Blaylock…oh."

Valerie shrugged helplessly.

"Coffee," Elena said. It was her solution to everything.

Well, at least she always had a plan.

Valerie sure as hell didn't.

* * *

That night, Valerie was putting the finishing touches on her outfit. She thought about how the day had gone – Markus eventually woke up and neither of them had mentioned what he had said. Valerie assumed that he had simply been drunk with sleep and hadn't known what he was saying.

And now she was sitting at her vanity, running her mascara wand through her lashes with Pepita at her feet. Brian had asked her to dress up, so she was wearing a deep purple dress and her favorite pair of heels. She didn't get the chance to dress up often, and so she was taking advantage of the opportunity.

A knock came at the door.

It was Brian.

* * *

An hour or so later, the two of them were sitting at a table in an upscale French restaurant. Valerie was happily chattering about Cynthia when Brian interrupted her.

"Val, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Valerie said, still optimistic about the evening. She took a sip of her wine and smiled at him. "What's on your mind?"

"You know I'm going back to Florida tomorrow, right?"

Valerie nodded, unsure of where he was going with this.

"I was just…wondering if you wanna come back with me."

"What?"

"You know, take a chance. Give me a chance. Us."

Valerie was stunned. She looked down at her plate and began to fold her napkin nervously.

"Brian, I…that's so nice of you to offer, but…I just…can't leave Markus. I…also have a job here."

"So? You could find something over in Florida," Brian said.

"It's just…not as simple as that. Working at Caduceus is going to open so many doors for me."

"I'm sure hospitals in Florida will do the same," Brian pressed.

"Caduceus needs me," Valerie said firmly. "I've helped to save hundreds of lives. I can't just turn my back on them now."

"Come on, Val," Brian wheedled. "These last two dates I've realized just how much I've missed you. We were so great together."

"Brian, my work is really important to me," Valerie said. "I just…can't."

"I don't get you," Brian said. "You can just as easily save lives over in Florida. With me."

"I told you – it's not that simple," Valerie said. "Markus and I…"

"Who the hell cares about Markus?" Brian snapped.

"Brian, please," Valerie begged. "Keep your voice down."

"Valerie, I'm talking about starting a life together," Brian said, his voice still loud. "And you bring up fucking _Markus_?"

Valerie got up, and took Brian's arm. She pulled him outside of the restaurant. They stood outside of the awning in the cloudy night. Valerie shivered.

"He's my partner, Brian," she said. "We work together. I can't abandon him."

"Oh, but you can abandon me," Brian said flatly. "But abandon Markus? Oh no!"

"Markus and I work really well together," Valerie said desperately. "You need to understand. It's not easy to find somebody you love working with."

"It isn't easy to find somebody who'll want to _be __with you - _love you, even - either," Brian said.

"Brian, please." Valerie put a hand on his arm, which he jerked away. "You can't have expected me to say yes. I'm finally happy with the way my life has turned out. I can't just up and leave."

"Well, fortunately for the both of us, _I can_," Brian said acidly. He turned on his heel and began to walk off.

"Brian!"

"Find your own way home, Val," he said, turning around to look at her. "I'm done trying to win you back."

"Done?!" Valerie snapped. "You barely even tried!"

"High maintenance as always," Brian sneered. "Have a nice life, Val. You seem to think you deserve it."

Valerie rolled her eyes as he walked off.

"Immature as ever," she grumbled.

She retreated back into the restaurant and paid off the bill, too embarrassed to even look at the maître d' or anybody who had seen her storm out of the restaurant with Brian in tow.

She stepped outside and realized that she had no way of getting home. She didn't have any cash on her for a taxi, either.

"This is ridiculous," she growled, pulling out her phone. She scrolled through her list of contacts, and quickly came to the conclusion that Markus was the only person she could call. She didn't want to drag Elena all the way downtown to pick her up.

Markus probably wouldn't mind.


	11. CONTRACTION

"Fucking Brian," Markus grumbled as he pulled up to the restaurant. Valerie was standing outside, looking gorgeous in a wine colored dress. She also looked miserable as she pulled the door to the passenger side open and slid inside.

"I am so sorry, Markus," she said, sounding embarrassed.

"Don't be," Markus said. He began to drive in the direction of Valerie's apartment complex.

"I should have just walked," Valerie said.

He could hear the guilt in her voice.

"Don't be ridiculous, Val," he said sharply. "It would have taken you at least an hour."

A fat raindrop fell onto his windshield.

"And now it's raining," he added. "Seriously, quit feeling guilty."

Valerie buried her face in her hands and groaned. "I'm so stupid, Markus. I'm so, so stupid. I shouldn't have gone out with Brian. I should just never leave my apartment again unless it's for work."

"_Brian _is the idiot as far as I'm concerned," Markus said. He couldn't quite place how he was feeling – on one hand, he was furious that Valerie had been stranded downtown. On the other hand, he was pleased that Brian had managed to royally screw things up.

"He wanted me to move to Florida with him!" Valerie said, exasperated. "Florida!"

"Brian _would_ live in Florida," Markus said acidly. He had nothing against Florida, but at that moment, he would have insulted anything to do with Brian.

Valerie sighed unhappily. "I literally have no luck with men. Every man I've ever been with has screwed me over in some way." She looked over at Markus, who was concentrating on the road. "How's your love life been, Markus?"

"What?" Markus asked, surprised. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious," Valerie said. "And it'll help me get my mind off of Brian."

"It's…unexciting. You know. Casual hookups every now and again, but nothing work talking about."

"Casual hookups!" Valerie repeated. She began to laugh. "Oh, I can just imagine you coming off as really smooth and confident."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Markus said, trying to hide his smirk. He noticed that Valerie had relaxed considerably. Plus, they weren't talking about work, which was a plus. She had finally stopped acting one hundred percent professional around him, and he had to clench his jaw to stop himself from smiling too much.

As they neared Valerie's apartment complex, she began to gather up her things. "You can drop me off around the corner."

"Are you kidding?" Markus scoffed. "I'll walk you up."

"You don't have to, Markus, seriously," Valerie said. "I'm already guilty because I made you come out in this horrible rain."

"Don't be," Markus said. "It's not like I had anything better to do."

Fifteen minutes later and they still hadn't found a parking spot.

"Goddamnit," Markus grumbled. "Look, we'll just park around the block and I'll walk you over."

"_Or _you could just drop me off here and I could walk on my own," Valerie said.

"No."

Markus pulled into a parking spot that was at least a five minute walk from Valerie's apartment.

"You're going to get drenched," Valerie said helplessly.

"So are you," Markus said, getting out.

They began to walk toward the complex, the wind getting stronger the entire time. Soon, they heard a gigantic crack of thunder and saw a flash of lightning. It began to pour, drenching them both. Valerie was shivering, and anything Markus was wearing was entirely too soaked to give to her. He pulled her under an awning.

"We're gonna have to wait this out," he said.

Valerie sighed. "Markus, I'm so sorry. I've made such a mess."

"Val, please," Markus said.

"I can't believe he asked me to move to Florida!" Valerie groaned. "Florida! And then he left me at that stupid restaurant because I told him I couldn't leave you and –"

"You told him what?"

Valerie turned to look at Markus, her dark hair stuck to her forehead and water still trickling down her cheeks.

"I told him I couldn't leave Caduceus. And that I couldn't leave you because we're…"

Markus grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her hard. She jumped in surprise, but didn't resist to him tilting her head back and deepening the kiss. Valerie felt her knees go weak, and she was filled with warmth. He was kissing her like he meant it – not the way Brian used to kiss her near the end of their relationship. Valerie kissed him back, trying to let him know just how grateful she was that he was _there_ when she needed him to be.

And then they were at her apartment door, with Markus trailing kisses down her neck while Valerie dug around for her key. And before she knew what was happening, they were in her bedroom and she was lying on her back with Markus on top of her, her head cupped in his hand as he kissed her.

And then she remembered.

"Wait, wait, wait," she squeaked.

Markus stopped kissing her, thoroughly confused. "What's the matter?"

She placed her hands on his chest and gave him a gentle shove. He sat up, and so did she.

"What are we doing, Markus?" she asked, pushing her damp hair out of her face. "We're partners!"

Markus raised his eyebrow at her. "And that's important, how?"

Valerie began to panic. "I just…need to stop sleeping with men who have issues and men who exclusively call me 'babe.'"

"Okay, for one thing, I have never called you babe, and I certainly have no intention of starting. Secondly, what kind of men have you been sleeping with?"

"My mother is right," Valerie said, her voice strained. "I need to stop messing around and start thinking about…you need to leave."

"Val, come on," Markus said. "Look, you need to relax."

"Markus, I just…don't think it's a good idea. I keep putting myself in these stupid situations and I keep getting hurt."

"I'm not going to hurt you!" Markus snapped.

"You're all I have, Markus," Valerie said quietly. His expression softened. "I just can't ruin that for myself. I'm so sorry."

Markus nodded and picked his wet coat off of her floor.

"I'll see you at work, Val."

She heard him murmur something to Pepita before he left, closing the door quietly behind him.

Valerie picked herself up off of her bed and walked over to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror.

"What are you so afraid of?" she asked. All she could see was a young doctor who didn't know what she wanted out of life.

She sighed and put her pajamas on, hanging her damp dress in her closet.

Things would probably look better in the morning.


	12. CARDIAC ARREST

As it happened, things did not look better in the morning. At all.

"Maybe I should call in sick."

Valerie was lying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling and talking to nobody in particular. Guilt instantly washed over her as she realized how many patients she would miss out on helping if she called in sick only to hide in a nest of blankets. She had barely gotten any sleep, and she cringed as she saw the dark circles under her eyes. She splashed some water on her face and patted it dry with a towel, sighing heavily.

Yesterday had been a huge mistake.

Valerie had spent most of the night pacing her apartment, replaying the events of the night. Why had Markus been so confused? He should have realized just as quickly as she had that things were getting out of hand. That she was vulnerable, and he was lonely, and that they were on the verge of ruining what they had.

Unless, of course, he didn't think it was a mistake. Maybe there were feelings involved that she wasn't thinking about.

Valerie looked at the clock, deciding she had the time for a quick shower. She would go into work, act natural, and just carry on doing her job to the best of her abilities. Emotions were not meant to get in the way of her work. That would be irresponsible and foolish and she hoped Markus was promising himself to stay focused just like she was.

Yesterday was in the past and, as she scrubbed herself down, Valerie decided that there was no point in dwelling.

There were things to get done.

* * *

"Don't look at me like that."

Markus's cat meowed and stood on his chest.

"I'm not getting up."

The cat settled down, seemingly happy about his decision to stay put.

Markus was struggling with what had happened, and all his cat could do was sit on his chest and cut off his circulation.

Had yesterday been a mistake? Or had it just been an inevitable event that came with their partnership? Markus was definitely sure of one thing: he had feelings for Valerie. He didn't know if he was _in _love with her, per se, but he definitely _felt _something for her, and that was a lot more then he could say for 90% of the people he knew.

Still, she had kicked him out. His heart clenched as her words fluttered around in his head: _You're all I have. _He should have told her that he felt the same – that Valerie was all he had, too.

His cat purred happily on his chest.

He sighed and shoved his cat off of him. It yowled and darted into the kitchen.

"Work calls," Markus grumbled.

* * *

As Valerie left her apartment, her spirits began to lift. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the roads seemed to empty just for her as she zoomed over to Caduceus. Maybe she had been blowing things out of proportion.

As she pulled into her parking spot, Valerie's heart began to race.

_No. I will act normal. Everything is normal._

She took a deep breath, stepped out of her car, and ran straight into Markus.

"Goddamnit!" she swore, blurting it out before she could even think.

Markus smirked. "Slow down, Val. You were just about to mow me down."

Valerie took a step back and crossed her hands across her chest. "You were in my way."

Markus politely stepped to the side, the smirk never leaving his face. Valerie wondered if he was being an asshole just to try to restore a sense of normalcy. She knew she was being defensive, but if she let her guard down…

They walked into Caduceus together, both of them silent. They stepped into the lift, nodded at Elena and sat down at their desks, neither of them opening their mouths the entire time.

After an hour of paperwork, Valerie abruptly stood up and rushed over to the nurses' station.

"Elena, can I buy you a cup of coffee?" she asked desperately.

Elena eyed her sagely. She knew that look. "Sure."

Valerie hustled her away from her desk and toward the elevator. "So how's work?"

"Valerie, I know that isn't why you tore me away from work," Elena said firmly. "What's the matter?"

The doors of the elevator slid closed.

"Markus and I almost slept together!" Valerie blurted out.

"What?!" Elena squeaked. Not even a second had passed before she continued: "Finally!"

"What do you mean, finally?" Valerie snapped.

They walked out of the elevator and moved toward the café. Elena stopped and grabbed Valerie by the shoulders.

She paused.

"Am I off the clock?"

Valerie nodded furiously.

"I said 'finally' because you and Markus have been dancing around each other for _ages_. I've been waiting for you two to get together ever since I met you. Even Dr. Everett's been waiting, for God's sake."

Valerie paled. "What are you talking about? Markus and I are partners. We work together."

Elena sighed. "Valerie, look. When Brian asked you to move to Florida with him, what did you say?"

"You already know what I said, Elena."

Valerie had given Elena all of the messy details about the breakup via text, while avoiding mentioning what had happened afterward with Markus.

"What did you _say_?"

"I said no!"

"Why?"

"I told him I couldn't leave Markus. You know that's what I said, I told you yesterday!"

"You told him you couldn't leave Markus. Those were the first words that came out of your mouth. You didn't say anything about Caduceus, and you didn't say anything about surgery. You just said you couldn't leave Markus."

Valerie stared at her, dumbfounded.

Elena stepped back triumphantly. "And you know why you did."

"Because…_feelings_?" Valerie was beyond forming real sentences at that point. She stared at Elena with wide eyes. "Oh, my god."

"Now," Elena said, pushing Valerie down the hallway. "Coffee."

* * *

"Finally!" Dr. Everett boomed.

"What the hell do you mean, finally?"

"You finally made your move!" Dr. Everett said happily. He clapped Markus on the back roughly.

"And it worked out so well for me," Markus replied sourly. "I told you she kicked me out."

"You know Valerie," Dr. Everett said soothingly. "She's a very professional person. The idea of you as more than a working partner probably hasn't surfaced yet."

"And that makes it better, how?"

"Just because it hasn't surfaced, it doesn't mean it isn't there," Dr. Everett said wisely.

Markus eyed him for a good minute before saying, "Shut up, Everett."

Dr. Everett roared with laughter. "You kids are crazy. I like you, but you're crazy."

Markus grumbled under his breath and marched out of Dr. Everett's office.

"Let me know how it goes!" Dr. Everett yelled.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Next chapter is the last! If you've been reading, thank you very much! School has taken over my life, but hopefully I will return to writing when I have the time.


	13. SYSTOLE

Markus and Valerie avoided each other the entire day. The only words they exchanged involved work. Elena had cleared her throat around them meaningfully at least three times an hour, but they continued to focus on the vast piles of paper around them, and on the bodies on their operating table.

By the time night fell, Valerie was exhausted. As she walked toward the elevator, the lights in the hallway flickered out one by one. She stepped inside, her hand hovering over the button that would take her to the ground floor. She shifted her gaze up to the button labeled ROOF.

She remembered standing on the roof not too long ago, admiring the view and feeling her muscles relax. Stigma had been wiped away, and she and Markus had saved thousands of lives. She remembered shivering up there, but she also remembered how at peace she had felt. Peace sounded good right now, especially because she had been fighting with her emotions the entire day. When she had returned from her coffee break, she had taken a good long look at Markus as he studied a report and she had realized that there hadn't been a time when she hadn't had feelings for him. All of the things they had gone through – the feelings had been there during every single minute of their wild adventure. She had just been far too afraid to even dwell on them. To even dwell on Markus. Now she had mucked everything up, and the roof was all she had left.

She pressed the button.

As soon as she stepped out of the stairwell, the cold wind hit her and she took a deep breath. The city twinkled underneath her, so bright that it outshone the stars in the sky. She stood there for a long time, thinking.

Then: "Val?"

Valerie turned around sharply. It was Markus.

"Markus, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just thought I'd come up here. Do a little bit of thinking," he said.

Valerie nodded. "Me too."

Markus walked over to where she was and stood close.

"Val, listen…"

Valerie shook her head. "No. It's alright. I'm sorry."

"Do you…" Markus cleared his throat awkwardly. "I mean –"

"Is this the same smooth talker that charms women into 'casual hookups?'" Valerie asked teasingly, using his exact words from last night.

She saw Markus clench his jaw. He took her gloved hand gently and turned her toward him.

"Val, listen," he said softly. "What happened last night wasn't a mistake. It was something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I don't – I don't know what's going _on _with me. With us. I just know that if I could sit around reading Wikipedia pages on cats with you, then I'd be okay. In fact, I'd be more than okay. I'd…"

He trailed off, and she could see that he was struggling with his words. Valerie smiled at him.

"Did you know that a cat's senses fit a crepuscular and predatory ecological niche?" she said, quoting directly off the Wikipedia page she had near-memorized.

Markus laughed. "I didn't. And I can't really say that I care."

She smiled, and took his hand again. "Looks like we're on the same page, then."

"About cats?"

"About cats."

Markus grinned at her, and Valerie could not help but think that it was the most genuine smile she had seen in a long, long time. As he pulled her close, Valerie sighed contentedly. So this was what peace was – not whatever she had been feeling on the roof that night that seemed to have taken place so long ago. This. This was peace. This was where she was meant to be.

Just…this.

* * *

**THE END**. Thank you very much for reading, and I do hope that you enjoyed _Systole _in its entirety. You can find me on Tumblr at thisideofparadise, if you want to talk about _Trauma Center_ some more. If you've been leaving reviews, know that I've read and appreciated every single one of them.


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